Marisa Chenery was always a lover of books, but after reading her first historical romance novel she found herself hooked. Having inherited a love for the written word, she soon started writing her own novels.

She now writes young adult books and erotic romances.

Marisa lives in Ontario, Canada, with her husband, four children, four grandchildren (she’s a young grandma at fifty) and five rabbits.

Being a loner, moving by herself from a city to a small town, is something Rikki is more than capable of handling. Having a strong hunk who offers to help with the heavy lifting was just an added bonus. And one she couldn’t pass up.

Torger had sat at the coffee shop across the street and watched the woman who’d snagged his interest carry boxes out of a moving trailer before he could no longer stay away. His interest in her is a sign his vampire side considered her a mate. Once he had her scent in his nose, his werewolf one agreed.

With his vampire side of the family still hunting him, his sister and brother, Torger knows he puts Rikki at risk, but there is no denying the mating instincts of a hybrid. Even though his closeness to her puts a target on her back.

Excerpt

Rikki gave a wistful sigh before she forced herself to tear her gaze off the hunk and get back to work. The boxes weren’t going to move themselves up to her apartment, much to her disappointment. Since Lemmon was small, maybe after she was settled in, she’d run in to him and see if she could get to know him better.

She stepped up into the trailer and then walked to the back to retrieve the next box. Rikki had just bent to pick it up when she was startled upright by a deep-sounding voice that came from behind her. She turned around to find the hunk from across the street standing at the doors.

“Sorry. What did you say?” she asked.

He smiled, which had her almost drooling. “I asked if you’d like some help. I watched you make a couple trips so I know you’re alone. It’d go faster with the two of us.”

“Ah, sure. I guess.”

The trailer bounced as he stepped into it. He had to keep his head ducked. He was tall. There was no way he could stand straight. Now that he was closer, Rikki saw his eyes were green. A deep jade-green.

Once he reached her, he held out his hand. “Hi. I’m Torger. You’re obviously new in town.”

She shook with him, getting a small thrill from the skin-to-skin contact. “I’m Rikki. I am new. I arrived this morning.”

“It’s kind of cramped in here. I’ll grab these two boxes.”

Torger brushed past her, then reached for the boxes. She was about to tell him they were heavy since they held her dishware and pots and pans, but he lifted them as if they didn’t weigh a thing. Rikki quickly picked up a box closest to her, led him out of the trailer and then up to her apartment.

She set her box in the living room before she directed Torger to the kitchen to place his two there. After he did, he looked around. The kitchen was attached to the main living space with no doors or walls between the two rooms.

“Nice place,” he said. “Did it come furnished?”

“Thanks. And yes, it did. I lived with a roommate in Rapid City. All the furniture was hers, even the bed I slept on since it was a pull-out couch.”

“What made you decide to move to Lemmon? It’s a lot smaller than Rapid City, and we don’t exactly have a nightlife to call home about.”

Rikki smiled. “I figured that. The rent is cheaper so I can afford my own place, instead of having to share. I’m kind of a loner. I don’t mind the small-town atmosphere.”

“Do you have a job lined up? If not, I could ask my brother about any openings at the coffee shop across the street. His wife’s family own it.”

“Thanks, but that isn’t necessary. I work from home.”

“Oh, yeah. What do you do?”

“I’m a freelance editor.”

“Interesting.”

Rikki chuckled. “Not everyone would agree with that. It’s the perfect job for me, though. I love books, but I have a hard time coming up with storylines to write my own. So editing is more my thing. Plus, it’s a solitary career, which me being a loner, works out as well.”

Torger grinned. “I’ll have to send my sister and sister-in-law over to introduce themselves. Maybe the three of you could become friends. Then you wouldn’t be able to say you’re a loner.”

“They can try, but I’m not guaranteeing anything,” she said jokingly. “I used to drive my roommate crazy. I wouldn’t leave the apartment for days at a time.”

“We’ll definitely have to fix that. Let’s get the rest of your things out of the trailer.”

Rikki nodded, then followed Torger outside. Holy hell, he was hot. And his being a really nice guy just upped her attraction for him. It was looking as if her decision to move to Lemmon was a good one, and not because her rent was cheap. She always had a hard time meeting new people. Maybe living in a small town would rectify that problem.

She’d like to meet Torger’s sister and sister-in-law, but it was he she really wanted to get to know better. He hadn’t even blinked at her basically telling him she was a book geek.

At the trailer, they stepped inside and headed to the remaining boxes. There wasn’t too much more. There was one long, flat box she’d had a hell of a time getting in there. It was the brand new computer desk she’d purchased before leaving Rapid City. It’d been almost too heavy for her to lift. She’d make sure Torger brought that one up to the apartment.

“Can you take this one?” Rikki asked as she pointed to the flat box.

“Okay.”

Torger easily picked it up and then walked toward the entrance. Rikki grabbed a box and quickly followed.

It took them two more trips to empty the trailer. On the last one, Rikki closed it before she headed upstairs with the final box. She expected to find Torger waiting for her to return so he could leave. Instead, he worked on opening the box that held her new computer desk.

He looked up as she stepped inside. “I figured I’d give you a hand with this. Given how flat the box is, I’m guessing there’s going to be a lot of assembling required.”

Rikki put down what she held in the entranceway, then closed the apartment door. “Go right ahead. I dreaded having to put it together myself. I’m not exactly handy when it comes to doing things like that. I’m pretty sure I’d mess it up and then not be able to figure out where I went wrong.”

“Sometimes the directions aren’t that clear or there’s a step missing.”

“True. I’ll still owe you at least a cup of coffee.”

His gaze met hers. “How about you pay me back by having dinner with me this evening?”

The way Torger stared at her, a surge of awareness shot through her tired body. Was that interest showing in his gorgeous eyes? Rikki was pretty sure it was and not wishful thinking on her part.